al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in Yemen, Mr Obama said, his jaw clenched in an expression of steely resolve that was familiar from the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's demise at the start of May.

With opinion polls showing wide popular support for a public option, this is the time for President Obama to set aside his deep-seated instinct for compromise and to show the kind of steely resolve President Roosevelt displayed in defeating the Clark amendment.